


Quick Study

by YearOfTheOx



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Breakfast, Couch Cuddles, F/M, Studying, Underworld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22065622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YearOfTheOx/pseuds/YearOfTheOx
Summary: Persephone has to study for her midterms tomorrow, and in what better place than the home of the King of the Underworld? It's dead quiet over there. But somehow study night turned into a slumber party, which is what we all wanted anyway. Tune in for cuddles, breakfast, good boys, and maybe even some studying.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 107





	Quick Study

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VerdiWithin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/gifts).



> I wrote this stand-alone piece for VerdiWIthin for the Lore Olympus discord server's fabulously fun Secret Santa Event. The idea seeds were thoughtfulness and cuddling with Hades and Persephone.  
> This is my first published piece here, so I'd appreciate any comments so I can improve!

A raspy, wet tongue swept back and forth across the tip of his nose, accompanied by excited snuffling. Struggling to breathe, laugh, and keep Russell’s tongue out of his mouth all at the same time, Hades slowly and carefully began to sit up. Slowly, because like any good couch, this one could almost swallow a person whole between its overstuffed cushions and he was a bit stuck; carefully, because Persephone was still sprawled half on top of him from when they had fallen asleep the night before.  
Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was high time he should be about his business for the day; looking down at Persephone, he knew she could use a little more sleep. She had been studying late into the night, her papers strewn across the coffee table, dusted with eraser shavings and flower petals. He had been sitting next to her, trying to read his own book and certainly not watching her poring over her work, not seeing her soft brows furrow over a difficult question, and not hearing her hum absent-mindedly as flowers bloomed in her hair. He had read maybe a page in two hours before finally dozing off on the couch near midnight.  
Her head rested on his chest, her hair, escaped from its bun, radiated in a halo around her, framing her face as a few vibrant strands stuck to the corner of her lightly parted lips. She still had a book in her hand, resting on her stomach, her fingers woven in between the pages as they rose and fell with her breathing. He lifted her head gently with one hand and managed to extricate himself from her and the couch, and Russel immediately leapt onto the warm place he had left, curling up near Persephone’s face.  
As Hades quietly stepped away from the couch, Persephone’s other hand tugged at his rumpled shirttails and she made an almost coherent mumble. Hades twisted to take her hand in his, holding it for just a moment, before placing it on Russel, who sighed contentedly, then licked Persephone’s hand and snuggled in closer. He could spend the next hour looking at her, but then who would make breakfast?  
He became more awake as he walked through the hall toward his room and into his closet. He flowed through his routine: shower, shave, dress, accenting his usual black suit with a small pink pocket square that he imagined still smelled just a bit like baklava.  
Once in the kitchen, he tossed his jacket over a chair and set his cufflinks on the table as he rolled up his sleeves. Hades would normally blend up a smoothie and be on his way in minutes, but that would not do today. For one, the blender might wake the goddess on his couch. He could cook something up, but then it might get cold before Persephone woke. He looked over the island at Cerberus, who stood near his food bowls, three tongues panting expectantly.  
“No, I can’t really just toss her a few raw steaks,” he said as he laid out three sirloins for the dog. But maybe simple is the best way, he thought while washing his hands. Persephone had lived in the mortal realm almost her whole life, she might appreciate a meal that reminded her of home.  
When he had prepared everything, he gave Cerberus a few skritches behind the ears and popped his head into the living room. Persephone still lay stretched out on the couch with Russel. Morning glories had sprouted behind her ears and grown together to form a crown, arcing over her forehead; she could have been a queen. Russel looked up at him and broke the stillness of his reverie. He held a finger to his smiling lips, then turned and left.  
***  
Persephone stretched in the warm sunlight, soaking it up before opening her eyes. She startled to full alertness, mind suddenly full of teeming thoughts. “Russel, there’s a test tomorrow! I have to study EVERYTHING.” The dog jumped to the floor and yawned before looking up at her quizzically. “Russel? Why are you here?” she asked, hurriedly gathering her papers into some form of order. “Wait, no, why am I here?” Her eyes widened as she took in Hades’ dog, a couch that was definitely not in Artemis’ living room, and the absolutely breathtaking view through the window, out over the expanse of the Underworld. “Oh yeah.”  
Persephone remembered coming over to Hades’ house after work for a little peace and quiet while she studied for midterms. She could have studied at Artemis’, but while a great roommate in general, the goddess of the hunt (Or more accurately, any and all extreme outdoor sports) was just a touch too energetic and distracting, so she had come here. She had been fairly productive, when she wasn’t stealing glances at Hades solemnly reading his book. As it got later, his head nodded more and more often, until Persephone gently closed his book and set it on the side table.  
“Just sleep, silly, don’t worry about staying up for me.” At that, Hades sort of grunted, then fell asleep in earnest, still sitting up on the end of the couch.  
She turned back to her work, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, but after two more hours, she felt the fuzziness of exhaustion clouding her mind; she wouldn’t get much more done that night. She huffed out a tired breath and leaned back on the base of the couch. As her head tilted back onto the cushion, the crown of her head brushed Hades’ knee. She sat up quickly and turned to look at him, nervous, but his deep, even breathing continued uninterrupted. His face was stern, even in repose, but with the tension of his waking life gone, there was a more candid beauty in his solemnity.  
Persephone quietly stood, then sat next to Hades, still looking for any sign that she disturbed his sleep. She pulled on one of the fluffy throws that were folded on the couch, and wrapped it around herself. Enveloped in warmth, her eyes grew even heavier. In the soft haze of her sleepy mind, she hesitated for a second, unsure of what exactly she ought to do, what her mother would say about this, but she brushed those thoughts away, tomorrow problems. She let herself lean into the blue god, her head fitting neatly into the dip between his shoulder and bicep. This close, she could feel his warmth and slow breathing. Hers slowed to match as she drifted off to sleep.  
She remembered when he woke too, just barely. In their sleep, they both had stretched out on the couch; Hades’ legs reached almost the other end, while her toes only brushed the outside of his thigh just above the knee. Her head was nestled in the hollow of his chest, and one of his arms draped across her shoulders behind her. Between the couch, her blanket, and the god, she was cocooned in morning warmth, and she definitely didn’t want to wake up yet.  
As he extricated himself, he cupped her head in a hand bigger than her whole face; for such a large god, he moved gently and quietly. But he took his warmth with him when he stood, although Russel did his best to fill the void by jumping up to snuggle with her. Sleepily she reached out, trying to pull him back, just catching his silk shirt in her fingertips. Then he had taken her hand in his and held it encased in his for a long moment before setting it to rest on Russel’s soft back. She was already back to sleep when Hades took his next step.  
But now she blushed brightly, her fully conscious mind replaying the half-awake memories. She loved what had happened, and would do it again in a heartbeat, but it was dangerous ground. She had been putting off figuring out exactly what she wanted and how Hades would figure into that, if at all (Fate forbid). However, her brain’s sober warnings could not stop the sparkling grin on her face. She hopped to her feet, “Let’s get it together, Russel! Yes, you’re a good boy.” She had to do well on her midterms tomorrow, and that was the only hurdle she needed to focus on for now.  
She was still in her rumpled work skirt and blouse, and her hair was tousled and at shoulder length. Not much she could do about it though, since she hadn’t intended study night to become a sleepover. She pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head, using a few thin strands of vine to tie it off. She would check the kitchen to see if Hades was still at home.  
Once there, she saw it was already far too late to expect Hades to be at home, luckily she had the day off for studying. She had better start too, before the entire morning got away from her. “I should probably go home, huh?” she said to Cordon Bleu, who had just pattered into the kitchen. The giant fluff ball just stared back skeptically. Then she caught sight of a blue sticky note stuck to the table top:  
“Kore,  
I hope you rested well, and that I didn’t wake you when I left. Please feel free to stay here to continue studying today, I don’t mind at all.  
I left out a little breakfast for you, and there are a few prepped meals in the fridge if you do stay for lunch later. I don’t want to get ahead of myself either, but if you are still here when I get back, I’d love to cook dinner for the both of us before you go home.  
I wish you the best of luck with your studies, and on your tests tomorrow, if I don’t see you before then. Have a lovely day.  
Hades  
P.S. There’s a robe on the chair if you wanted to change out of your work clothes”  
It looked like he had been trying to write neatly, but his heavily italic scrawl had gotten away from him by the end. She smirked at Cordon Bleu, “Guess I’m staying; maybe we can become friends today.” She turned to the island to behold the “little breakfast.”  
There was a bowl of yoghurt swirled with golden honey, topped with a mound of nuts and raspberries. Next to that was a platter with soft, brown, homemade bread and a jars of wine dark marmalade and olive oil. Finally, there was a tray with a spread of hard boiled eggs, greens, olives, cheeses, and a small crystal dish of sweet apricot preserves and a tiny silver spoon. Over it all was a bouquet of fiery orange and white narcissus flowers. On a chair she found a simple, fleece-lined satin robe in navy blue, with a matching pair of slippers.  
Once she had changed into the comfortably oversized robe and giant slippers, she carried a loaded plate back to the coffee table. She hadn’t eaten anything like this since coming to Olympus. The flower nymphs had prepared a similar meal on her last morning at home, and they had eaten beneath blossoming apricot trees, with white blossoms drifting down around them. It was unexpected, but comforting to have a small taste of home in the heart of the Underworld of all places. So, reminiscing happily, she got back to studying.  
***  
Hades made it back from a little earlier than he had expected, around four in the evening. He stopped just inside the garage door. Would Persephone still be here? He hoped she was, but also didn’t know if he could handle that without making a fool of himself. He sighed, then grinned, and walked to the living room. From just outside, he saw Persephone had her head down on her arms, sleeping on her schoolwork which was still all over the table. She was wearing the robe he had set out, the navy setting off her vivid pink skin with its own subtle shine. Her hair had come loose again and it splashed in long, bright waves down her back.  
She woke as soon as he walked in and looked up at him, laughing, “I swear I was doing work all day long; I just fell asleep for a minute!”  
He laughed too, “Hey, you’re the smart one here, I won’t question your methods.” Hades sat on the couch next to her, draping his jacket onto the back of the sofa. “We seem to be back where we started. Have you even moved today?” At his grin, her face narrowed into a mock pout.  
“What? Of course I have. I had to go eat that delicious breakfast you set out for me.” She smiled up at him from the floor, “Honestly, that meant a lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to put all that together.”  
“Well hospitality is one of the most important social virtues. In a bit, I’ll put the final touch on it and make us dinner. That is, if you’re staying, of course.”  
“Of course I’ll stay. I can’t just turn down a king who offers me a handcrafted dinner.” Persephone lifted herself from the floor and sat next to him, resting her chin on his shoulder as she continued, “You’ve had a long day at work though, haven’t you? And I’ve been studying really hard, obviously. So let’s just take a break for a bit to relax.”  
“I guess I could use a little time to unwind,” he said and took off his tie and cufflinks so he could roll up his sleeves. She settled more comfortably against him, dangling her legs off the edge of the couch, brushing his calf with her toes. He put one arm around her, tracing his fingers through her hair as he did so. “We’ll have to get up eventually, you know.”  
“Yeah, eventually.”


End file.
